


Just Take My Hand

by Abbyromana



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 07:56:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12860181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abbyromana/pseuds/Abbyromana
Summary: Upon Bruce's death, Cassandra learns in his holographic message to her that she might have a twin brother. Even more surprising, there's a strong possibility it might be the estranged second Robin, Jason Todd.Still reeling from the loss of Batman, Cassandra decides to seek out the second Robin. She hopes to learn whether he might be the family she has been missing. Can Cassandra bring Jason back into the batfamily fold or will old feelings lead her down a road she isn't ready to face?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ryoku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryoku/gifts).



> This a gift for the Batfamily Christmas Exchange 2017  
> PROMPT: Cass and Jason are long lost twins, but have no knowledge of it. Them coming to realize it slowly over time as they interact with each other and form a stronger bond.  
> Optional bonus 1: if Jason, still rather wayward, is pulled closer to his family by Cassandra's refusal to give up on him.  
> Optional bonus 2 : When Jason find out, he's sort of overwhelmed that he actually has a blood relative that LOVES him, where as Cassandra is likewise overwhelmed that someone that shares her blood line isn't a total psychopath.  
> Optional bonus 3 : Cass gets away with platonic snuggling with Jason that no one else in the family can get away with, and a few of them (Dick) are jealous.

Cassandra felt speechless for the first time in a while.

Her gaze did not waver from the towering man, now in holographic form, before her. Bruce Wayne had been her mentor, her ally, her friend, and more recently, her adopted father. He was one of the few she could say she cared about very deeply. And yet, she knew he was now gone.

The stoic face before her was nothing but a ghost to her. Still, he looked just as she remembered him. His hair was dark and smoothed back. His sharply drawn face was pale compared to his striking blue eyes. He stood tall like an impenetrable mountain, looming over her. His voice was even but somber. “Cassandra.”

Her throat tightened as she stared at the flickering holorecording.

Bruce’s cowl was down, but the bat symbol was ever present on his chest. “This is the hardest thing I have ever had to say to you.” His voice quivered slightly as his eyes seemed to soften. “I should have told you when I first learned about it, but I would never want to cause you anymore pain. You’ve overcome much in your short life and suffered more than I probably know. And yet, I think you would understand my hesitance, considering the source… your mother.”

Blinking back confusion, and perhaps a few tears, Cassandra listened intently.

“I’m sorry for keeping this secret from you,” he apologized, before continuing. “During a League mission against an enemy force, Lady Shiva and I were trapped together. In an injured and weakened state, she confided in me about the child she had with the assassin, David Cain. Of course, I told her I already knew about you, but then she laughed. She said the child had actually been two – a girl… and a boy.”

Cassandra’s eyes widened. “A brother?”

Despite being unaware of her reaction, Bruce seemed to swallow nervously. Then again, maybe he had known how she would react. After all, he was the world’s greatest detective.

His gaze dipped. “You came first. Small and quiet but strong. Lady Shiva presented you to Cain. He left without a single question. Then unexpectedly, some thirty minutes later, a boy was born. Since the deal was for only one child, Lady Shiva never bothered to tell Cain. In fact, she cared little for the baby boy and abandoned him at a nearby refugee campsite in Libya.” Bruce exhaled noisily. “According to Lady Shiva, from what she remembered in her delirious state, the boy looked more like his father. He had inherited her black hair and sharp nose, but that was all. He was bigger and cried louder than his sister. His eyes were more like his father's.” Bruce’s gauntlet covered hand found the back of his neck. Resting there, he appeared to be recalling the event. “I wish I could give you more information on your twin brother. I suppose that was one reason why I hesitated in telling you at all. I wanted to provide you with more than just a story. I wanted you to know for certain if your twin brother was still alive, and if so, who he was today.”

Cassandra wrapped her arms around herself. She found her breathing was quickening. She shut her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. A part of her wanted to shut off the message and just leave it at that. Too much had happened lately, since Batman’s death. Too many emotions filled her aching heart. Yet, she knew she had to hear the rest of it.

Suddenly, Bruce’s words brought her back to him. “…among other pieces of information that you'll find on the thumb drive, there is one thing I should tell you. Um. It’s more of my own speculation. There’s little evidence to support it, but considering all I know about Lady Shiva, I do have one possible candidate for your brother.” Bruce licked his lips. “Many years before you came to Gotham, I had sought out Lady Shiva on the behalf of someone else. At the time, he went by Robin. Today, he goes by Red Hood. His legal name is Jason Peter Todd. You might remember us visiting his grave or Tim mentioning his confrontation with the supposed dead Robin. Long before his death, Jason had been seeking out what remained of his known biological family – his mother. Due to a connection between his father and your mother, he believed her to be his mother. Under a truth serum, Lady Shiva had denied it.”

A part smile curved Bruce’s lips. “We accepted her word at the time. After all, we had other, more promising candidates. Now, though, I’m far less convinced by Lady Shiva’s denial.” His smile fell away with his hand. He swallowed again as his gaze slowly rose. “Your mother is highly skilled. She knows how to defeat anyone, perhaps anything. And she is also very cunning. I wouldn’t put it past her to lie, even under a truth serum. But perhaps, she didn’t lie.” The briefest of shrugs lifted Bruce’s broad shoulders as his head tilted to one side. “I have also wondered if she simply didn’t recognize the baby who was then a teenager. Perhaps...”

Cassandra cut off the holorecording with a press of a button. Instead, she turned to the Batcomputer and typed in a request for files on ‘Jason Peter Todd’. The computer showed a result of well over a thousand files.

A small exasperated breath fell from her lips. Skimming through the long list of files, her cursor fell upon one called ‘Profile on JPT’. She chose it.

On the largest screen, two images appeared along with a series of basic information on him. One image showed a boy of about twelve years old with messy black hair, deep teal colored eyes, and a sour look on his dirt covered face. The other image showed a twenty-year-old man with the same sour look and deep teal colored eyes, but there were deep lines on his face from stress, perhaps battle, or something worse.

Cassandra bit down on her thumb as she started to scroll through the information. When she got down to the last known location the space only said: ‘Gotham City’.

Narrowing her eyes, she realized she had much work ahead of her.

oOo

Every muscle in Jason’s body was crying out in pain as he fell from the scaffolding. Hitting the icy cold water of Gotham River only briefly numbed it. Then, the pain resurged with a vengeance. When his lips parted to scream in agony, the cold water rushed in. He felt his lungs burn. His breath was stolen away.

For a moment, the waves washed over him. Jason vanished beneath the dark surface of the river. He thought about letting Gotham River drag him into its murky depths. There’d be no one to miss him, so what was the point of fighting death again.

Ironically, he recalled hearing Nightwing’s last words reverberating in his head.

“The fight is over, Jason… You have no choice!”

A silent and defiant yell cut through him.

Jason would not give up. There was always another choice. He’d fight back every time. When he broke the surface of the water, he used his last ounce of strength to swim to the shoreline of Dixon Docks. There he collapsed.

For who knows how long, he lay in the dark space beneath a shipping dock. Many shaky breaths flew past his lips. In the end, the pain brought him back to consciousness. His face hurt, particularly his broken nose. He’d have to thank Nightwing for that later. His arms and legs felt like they were on fire after his fight and hard-fought swim out of the icy cold water.

He bit back his need to scream again, this time due to the pain. Instead, he forced himself up on to his knees. Then, he focused on just listening. There was no sound of footsteps approaching his position. The sirens seemed to ebb off into the distance. There was no hint of any pursuers approaching.

Releasing a breath, he hadn’t realized he was holding, Jason dared to move out from his cover. He stayed low, practically crawling up the shoreline and towards the nearest structure.  Weaving amongst the buildings, he eventually came up behind the backsides of several storefronts. With all the chaos still going on in Gotham, Jason knew he had a chance. He might just be able to stay under the radar long enough to get to his safehouse.

Jason ducked under windowsills. A few times, he popped up to peek inside. There was no one in sight. So, he changed tactics and started testing rear entrances. He just needed one careless owner, so he could slip inside. Much to his surprise, he found an unlocked door. The door knob turned with ease. He slipped inside the store and shut the door behind him.

For a moment, Jason just reclined against the back wall of the establishment. The room was dark, cold, and somewhat quiet. Most of the outside noises were muffled.

Taking several deep breaths, he could let his mind race without interruption. The last several days washed over him. He let his rage and fear, his mistakes and regrets, his successes and satisfactions, and his hard-learned lessons consume him.

Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. Jason knew it had nothing to do with his injuries. If not for fear of possibly being heard, he would have shouted at the top of his lungs.

Squeezing his gauntlet covered hands, he pounded the ground instead. In that moment, he suddenly noticed a flash of light. The door between the front of the shop and its backroom was ajar.

Pushing away from the wall, he crept forward. A few more flashes of light flickered through the doorway. Jason thought they looked like the glow of flashlights.

All his instincts kicked in as he peered out into the shop.

A line of glass cases filled most of his field of view. The side facing him was covered by a white, wooden surface, but Jason recognized them as jewelry cases. Further inside, he saw glass covered shelves lining the walls. Inside them, he saw lines of gold watches and gemstone necklaces.

That’s when he heard hushed voices just out of sight.

“I swear I heard something, Frank.”

“Gus, you’re just hearing things again.”

“Both of you shut up and fill those bags! Won’t be long before the cops come to check the silent alarm.”

Jason groaned to himself. Of course, he managed to stumble upon a jewelry heist. That was just his luck tonight.

To make it worse, he didn’t even have a weapon on him. Normally that wouldn’t have bothered Jason, but he had just taken a beating from the bats and was feeling on the ropes.

Edging out of the doorway, Jason contemplated his situation.

“Well, I might be able to slip out unnoticed,” Jason considered. “They don’t seem that observant.” Looking at the door into the shop, he pursed his lips. “Then again, I wouldn’t be much of a protector to Gotham, if I don’t step up, injured or not. Then again...” He grumbled under his breath. “Who am I kidding, I never run from a fight.” He looked back towards the office area of the backroom. “Hmm. I wonder… what’s the likelihood the shop owner keeps a gun back here?”

Shakily rising to his feet, Jason went to the desk. As quietly as possible, he started opening and going through the drawers. It was in the lower left drawer that Jason found a pistol. Of course, it looked more like an antique than a working gun, but at least, Jason found it loaded.

Briefly reconsidering whether this was the smartest course of action, Jason just gave a shrug. Someone smarter than him would probably point out none of his decisions had been particularly smart tonight, especially in hindsight. “Why change now, I guess?”

Jason cocked the gun and moved back to the open doorway. Gently, he pushed open the door into the shop. Stepping out, he quickly spotted the thieves over near the cases labeled: “Diamonds Are a Girls…”

Still partially obscured by a particularly tall case tower, Jason watched the three thieves. All of them were dressed in black. One was rather large and bald. Another was shorter with dark colored hair. The third was tall with broad shoulders. He could have been a linebacker. None of them appeared armed.

Stepping to one side of the tower, Jason coughed. “Boy, did you pick the wrong shop to rob?” Before he even finished the entire sentence all three men turned sharply to face him. The shorter one accidentally dropped a hand full of diamond bracelets.

The broad-shouldered thief squinted in Jason’s direction. “Who the Hell are you supposed to be… a Batman-wannabe?” He was looking Jason up and down.

That’s when Jason remembered the Batman suit he was still wearing. He didn’t let it faze him. Jason just smirked. “Nah, Batman wouldn’t have one of these.” He raised the gun and pointed it at the three men. “And he certainly wouldn’t use it.” Without another word, Jason pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

The three thieves still jumped back slightly.

Jason just blinked at the gun. Then after another second, Jason pulled the trigger again. There was a click, but nothing happened again. A series of unrepeatable swear words flew passed Jason’s lips.

“Boy, don’t you feel like an idiot?” sarcastically said the broad shoulder thief, pulling out his own gun.

“No more than usual,” muttered Jason. He threw his gun in the face of the larger thief, before diving behind the line of jewelry cases.

Mere seconds later, he heard the glass above him explode, sending shards raining down on him. Without waiting, he began to crawl around the back edge of the cases. He already knew the thieves weren’t going to leave him be nor runaway. That wasn’t his luck tonight.

Jason quickly examined every option he had. He needed a weapon or some way to defend himself. He saw a metal pole with a ‘S’ shaped hook, a series of cleaning chemicals that may be flammable, and a small blade. He pocketed the blade and grabbed the pole.

Next, he needed an exit strategy. Like Bruce always said, always have a way out, just in case you get in over your head. He thought he had a rough idea where both the rear door and the front door were located. However, he doubted either would be easily reachable at this time. In all truth, he’d likely have to fight his way out.

Drawing in a breath, he listened for the approaching footsteps. When he heard a pair, he moved swiftly toward them with the pole at the ready. As one foot rounded the corner, Jason struck at the knee.

He heard a cry of pain as he cracked the knee backwards. Then he swung upward, connecting with the wrist and then the jaw of the thief. When the short man fired, it went wide, completely missing Jason, but it did give him enough time to punch the man across the face and grab the gun, before dropping back down behind the cases.

This time, Jason was more careful checking the weapon. The gun still had four bullets. With a smirk, Jason knew that was more than enough. “Alright, boys. Unless you want your legs broken like your friend here, I’d run now!”

Jason got no response.

“Fine,” coldly said Jason. “Let’s do it the hard way.” Taking a deep breath, he readied himself. Then, quickly snapped up to his feet with the gun at the ready. He would fire on the first guy he spotted and take them down one after the other.

But there were no men in sight. All he saw was one young woman dressed in a white tank top and black leggings.

Finger frozen on the trigger, Jason’s tired mind struggled to understand the scene. She stood still with cold, narrowed eyes focused downward. Looking at the floor, Jason saw two, now unconscious, thieves. Her booted foot pressed hard against the chest of the broad-shouldered thief.

“Huh,” Jason breathed. He lowered his gun somewhat. “So is this where I thank you or something, Miss…”

“Cain,” she said coldly, even before lifting her gaze from the thieves to Jason. “Cassandra Cain.”

Jason’s brow furrowed. For a second, he swore the name sounded familiar, but he didn’t know from where. “You some sort of vigilante… or something?”

“Or… something,” Cassandra more repeated than answered his question. Her face showed no hint of humor unlike most members of the batfamily. She was tilting her head to one side as if she was studying him.

An uncomfortable niggling sensation started tickling Jason’s stomach as the girl stepped closer to him. She moved very smoothly, almost like a viper approaching her prey. She did not carry a weapon, but Jason got the feeling she didn’t require one to be dangerous.

Swallowing involuntarily, Jason lifted his gun again. “Look lady, I’ve had my fill of vigilantes for the night. So, don’t push…” The words died on Jason’s tongue.

With one hand, Cassandra struck the hand holding the gun, but she did not take it. He just suddenly lost the strength to hold it. Her other hand punched Jason across the face.  She was surprisingly strong, or perhaps, he was more exhausted than he had realized. All Jason knew for sure, his world tilted rightward and his head connected with the ground. The next second, everything went dark and quiet.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra struggles to let go of being Batgirl and in gaining Jason's trust. Jason is struggling to understand why a strange woman stripped him of his clothes and fixed up his injuries. Even more distressing for him, he can't figure out why he keeps getting this tingling sensation over his entire body every time she's close to him.

A puff of cold breath blew passed Cassandra’s lips. She let her head lull against the brick wall of the darkening alley way.

Her heart was still racing after fighting the thugs on Grant Pier. The fight hadn’t been that difficult, especially with Spoiler having her back. Neither was it that exciting, if Cassandra was honest. No. The adrenaline rush came more from lying to Stephanie and abandoning her mantel as Batgirl.

Cassandra hadn’t felt this terrified in a while.

Batgirl had been her safe-haven. Bruce and Barbara had bestowed it upon her when Gotham had been a no man’s land. She had felt trusted and vital to the legacy of Batman. She had become a symbol to many in Gotham. Many a young girl looked up to her as much as the Batgirls before her. More than that, Cassandra had felt like she wasn’t the killer her father groomed her to be.

All that changed more than a year ago. Her father and Death Stroke had tricked her, drugged her, and twisted her to do their deeds. They turned her Batgirl into a villain. At her hand, she had turned against friend and family. She had hurt those she once protected. She fought alongside villains that she once helped to stop. Just thinking about what she had done under their influence made her feel physically ill. She had said as much to Bruce more than a month ago, before he had died. Perhaps that was why he had asked her to pass on the mantel to Stephanie in his holographic message. He knew her safe-haven had been tainted.

However, Cassandra feared for Stephanie’s safety as much as the loss of her mantel. Her best friend had proven her capability and adaptability. She knew Stephanie was brave, stubborn, and smart. Still, Stephanie took risks. Not too long ago, she overreached herself in a vain attempt to prove something to Batman. She had nearly died. Luck and Leslie Thompkins’ lie saved Stephanie. Cassandra hoped her best friend would be smarter this time. She needed to learn to seek help from others, including the new Batman and Oracle. She hoped Stephanie would see going solo wasn’t always the best solution.

Biting her lower lip, Cassandra drew in a shaky breath.

For a moment, she contemplated going back to the pier or staying in Gotham all together to watch over the new Batgirl. Then, she remembered the rest of Bruce’s recording asking her to leave Gotham, recommending a few locations she might check out. According to him, if Stephanie was going to become strong enough to be Batgirl, she had to learn to stand without Cassandra. Honestly, Cassandra knew Bruce was right. It just wasn’t easy to leave her only home behind.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t her only home. She reminded herself about her other plans. There was a mystery to solve and a person to get to know. Pulling the thumb drive from her pocket, she thought about the man currently handcuffed in one of Robin’s old safe houses. There was so much ahead of her.

Cassandra pushed herself away from the wall and headed further into Gotham.

oOo

Jason blinked, fighting off his fatigue.

Slowly, the blurriness ebbed away. A low lit, warm bedroom swam into view. He felt safe for a few moments. The thought of falling back on to the soft pillow again and giving into his exhaustion crossed his mind.

Then, the memories of the evening came rushing back. He heard the shouts of Black Mask’s men as he fired upon them. He saw Tim Drake dressed as Batman and bleeding out as he loomed over the younger man. Felt the impact of Nightwing’s palm against his nose. The icy sensation of the Gotham River rushed around him. And finally, he saw the young woman with the piercing, dark eyes approach him.

“Cain,” Jason breathed. He shot up and looked around. Several fleece blankets covered him and the comfortable bed. Only a few other pieces of furniture accented the room. Looking to his left, he noticed the bedside table had a large glass of water, a small bottle of pills, and a cloth covered tray.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “This… this isn’t what I expected to wake up to.” He tried to get out of the bed. However, he was jerked back before he could pull the covers away. Grunting in pain, he frowned back at his right arm. He was handcuffed to the bed’s headboard. “What the fuck?” His left hand tugged on the length of chain. “Foot length handcuffs? Really? Kind of defeats the purpose.” For a moment, a bemused smile curved his lips. “Not like I can’t pick it in no time! But still…”

Examining the lock, Jason couldn’t help but wonder about the whole situation. “I suppose I should be grateful I’m here and not still outside in the snow. All cold and wet. Or…” A puff of laughter escaped his lips, before an unpleasant realization crossed his mind. He didn’t feel the tight-fitting and wet Batman suit around him. His focus left the handcuffs and went to the fleece blankets.

Lifting them off him, Jason’s throat tightened, and his eyes widened. He was almost completely naked under the blankets. Only his red boxers remained. An intense feeling of warmth washed over him.

“Why would she…? Shit! Is she some sort of pervert?” A revolted sneer curved his lips. “Got to get out of here.” Forgetting the blankets for now, Jason went to work on the handcuffs again.

Jason barely got them loose, before hearing a door open. He gave the bedroom door a worried look. To his surprise, it was still closed. Listening intently, he heard a door beyond his room being closed. His throat suddenly tightened as he realized he was no longer a lone.

Quickly, Jason pulled the blankets over him and laid back down. Closing his eyes, he drew in a slow breath and tried to slow his racing heart. Soon, he heard the bedroom door open.

The soft sound of footsteps approached his bed. He swore he could feel the person lean down over him. There was warmth skirting over his face. A tingling sensation surged over his entire body. Then, a brief second later, the warmth was gone.

Jason swore he heard something being removed from the side table. Then, there were more soft footsteps. Suddenly, he heard a bang and a clatter from something metal striking the floor.

Involuntarily, he cringed. Jason tried to pretend again. But, he knew he’d given himself away.

A familiar voice sharply stated, “You pretend sleep worse than Tim.”

With a glare already on his face, Jason turned towards Cassandra. “Can’t a guy just lightly sleep?”

“You are not sleeping… at all,” Cassandra told him. “You want to appear to sleep... to escape.”

Jason gave her a sour expression.

The smallest smile curved her lips. “Why have you not... escaped? I was gone since morning. Did Batman not show you how... to escape handcuffs? Richard and Tim would have been out of them.”

Pushing himself up, he spat angrily. “Well, excuse me! I was exhausted and quite enjoying the knockout nap you put me down for.”

A redness crept over her face. “Sorry. You were not cooperative last night. With you hurt... I thought it better to carry... you.” Her gaze dipped to the mess on the floor as if analyzing it.

Jason took advantage of the brief distraction. Slipping his hand out of the handcuff, he placed it under the coverings. He had to be on his toes and ready to take any opening, if he was going to get away from this scary, possibly crazy woman. He wasn’t sure which, if either, she was. All he knew, his heart always seemed to beat faster when she was near.

Cassandra was fast and highly skilled. Without a sound, she had taken down two guys twice her size at the jewelry shop. Jason wondered if she had been trained by Bruce or someone else. Either way, Jason had to be prepared in case she struck again. He wasn’t about to take another unplanned nap.

“Why’d you have to bring me at all?” When her gaze fell upon him, the tingling sensation returned. The feeling was not unpleasant or painful, but it still frightened him. He didn’t know why his body reacted this way in the presence of a stranger.

Her voice was steady, but her eyes wavered. “Because... I need to talk to you. Need to know you, before…” She suddenly halted. She bit on her lower lip as if considering her choice of words.

“What? Not enough interesting stuff about me in the Batcomputer?”

She blinked, perhaps out of confusion or surprise. He wasn’t sure which. Still, he hoped he had caught her off guard.

“Tim. Richard. Pretty handy with handcuffs. Likes to wear black. Yeah. It’s kind of obvious you’re one of Batman’s allies. BatChick? WingGirl? Whatever! What I don’t get is why you haven’t dragged my ass to jail or the Batcave.”

Cassandra’s gaze wavered more, even looking away for a long moment. “There are… reasons.”

“Reasons? What reasons?” Jason pressed as he turned himself enough to completely face her. She appeared oblivious to his lack of being restrained. That was good. He needed every advantage he could get.

Cassandra coughed to clear her throat, before looking back at Jason. “Batman is gone. You know that.” She gestured to the torn remains of his Batman suit in a pile near the dresser. “You tried to take his mantel. You tried to be him... like Tim did... like others did. But you are not him.”

A flicker of anger ignited in him. He wasn’t precisely sure what she had said that had set him off, but he was more than mad. “Of course, I did!” Throwing off the bed covers, he flew to his feet.

There was a shocked expression on her face.

He hoped that would give him another advantage. He was ready to fight again, despite the pain and exhaustion. He took a slow step to the right, preparing to strike. “No one else was willing to step up and fix this mess. Dick’s too much of a coward! And Tim’s too weak! Who else…?”

Before he could even manage to take a full step towards her, not to mention a swing, she struck precisely. He was sent backwards on to the bed again. This time he was the one with the shocked expression. He couldn’t believe how quickly and how accurately she had struck. He never even had a chance to think before his next move.

“No! You are wrong! You know nothing!” Several labored breaths fell from her lips as her teeth clenched. There was rage blazing behind her dark eyes. It was something to be feared.

oOo

Cassandra blew out an exasperated breath.

For once, Jason shut his mouth. He stared at her fearfully. She hated that look on his face. True, it was slightly better than his pissed off face, but it put her no closer to gaining his trust. And she needed him to trust her. It was the only way she’d be able to tell him the truth, if it was the truth. There were still too many questions, too many unknowns.

Under her breath, she muttered, “Batman was right.”

Last night, after bringing Jason here, she had started going over Bruce’s files on the thumb drive. There were pieces of information about her mother in Libya. Reports and photos of a very young Lady Shiva. There was a map of a region that was likely where Cassandra was born as well as known refugee camps in the area.

The reports included a long list of found and abandon babies. He had added his own notes. Of those that were white and male, a significant portion were eventually reunited with their parents or other family members. Quite a few of the orphans died due to disease or malnutrition. Bruce had eliminated all of them from possibility because of their age; they were close to one year old or older. That left three unaccounted babies under the age of three months. After initial government reports, there was nothing further on them. No mention was made about what became of them, whether they died, were adopted, etc. Interesting enough, all three babies were found near the same refugee camp in eastern Libya. Bruce’s last note only mentioned needing to find volunteers who had worked there. Nothing further was written.

As for connecting her to Jason, Bruce had a throwaway record about a Doctor Sheila Haywood. She had been known to work at refugee camps. However, there was no proof she had been working at one that year.

Cassandra felt defeated. She now understood why Bruce had been struggling. She doubted she would have gotten much further.

Turning from Jason, she tried to focus on something else. Her attention went to the mess from the covered tray. For several minutes, there was silence in the room. She picked up the first aid supplies she had found in Robin’s bathroom. Cassandra cleaned up the mess of blood soaked rags, bandages, surgical tools, and disinfectant.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jason touching his chest and then his left arm. He appeared to have just realized her handiwork on bandaging him up. Then, he reached for his face. “My nose.” He ran a finger along the metal frame around his slender nose. “You reset it.”

“Your injuries will heal... given time... and rest,” she told him as she piled all the first aid supplies back on the tray. “The nose is the worst. Richard would feel sorry... despite... everything… between you two.”

Cassandra’s stomach clenched as she thought about her own violent confrontations with Nightwing only a few weeks ago. It was an example of one relationship damaged because of Deathstroke’s manipulation of her. She had hurt Richard by hurting those he cared about. He had lost trust in her, and in truth, she had lost trust in him to see beyond her actions. That had hurt the most, because the year before, she had grown fond of him, and she got the feeling he felt the same.

Alfred had intervened on her behalf two weeks ago, at least convincing Nightwing to let her finish her last duties as a member of the Outsiders group. However, neither of them had a chance to apologize. In fact, he seemed to avoid her as Richard and Nightwing. The last time she had been in the same room with him, he found an excuse to leave. No one, not even Tim, said a word about it.

Suddenly, she heard a dismissive snort come from the direction of the bed.

That drew Cassandra’s attention. She raised an eyebrow in question as she rose to her feet with the tray. “Something funny?”

Jason shook his head, muttering what Cassandra swore sounded like insults directed at Nightwing, but then he just waved off her question. “I’d much rather find out why you have me here and not locked up.”

Cassandra’s gaze left him as she placed the tray on the dresser. “I have need of you. I…” She swallowed her words. For a long moment, she considered how she would talk to Jason.

Talking had never been her strong suit. Since gaining the ability, she had been working hard to express herself. However, despite Barbara’s, Bruce’s, and Alfred’s teachings, her linguistic skills were still weak.  

Of course, it often depended on who she was talking to. She never wasted words on an adversary. Besides, the silent treatment worked to her advantage. As for her friends and family, they were understanding.

But she didn’t know Jason. Perhaps, he was her twin brother. That didn’t mean she knew how he saw the world and reacted to it. True, he was a former Robin.  But, he was different from any other Robin she knew. In some respects, he seemed like a strange mix of both Robin and Batman.

Cassandra raised her gaze to look at him. In the silence, she could analyze him more clearly.

He looked relaxed, maybe a bit overconfident as if he was not taking the situation seriously. Yet, Cassandra could tell in his posture and from the subtle muscle twitches, this was not the case. His nonchalant exterior hid his true feelings and thoughts. He was afraid of her. He still wanted to escape. At the same time, he wanted to understand her. She suspected that was not just to better fight her but out of curiosity.

Tilting her head to one side, she quickly realized he was learning about her, too. He took in her every move and every word. Of course, he was not learning in the way she learned. Nothing he saw, heard, or felt, he took at face value. Rather, he mistrusted his own senses and instead he dissected everything.

In fact, she doubted he’d believe her about being siblings, if she just came out and said it. Of course, she hadn’t helped with her strategy of just knocking him out and dragging him here. He was firmly on edge around her.

Cassandra scolded herself about that. Her choice of violent interactions so far was more in tone with her father. That thought sickened her. She refused to believe she could be like him, share any traits of his brutality. She would be better. She had to be.

Still, thinking of the man who groomed her to be a killer, she couldn’t help but start to notice similarities in the young man before her. The build of his body from the broad shoulders to the wide calves looked like her father. He had cold bluish eyes similar to to her father, especially when he glared.

He was glaring at her now. “What?” finally asked Jason. The humor of a moment ago was gone. “Does it have something to do with Batman being right?”

She couldn’t help how her eyebrows rose.

He crossed his arms over his chest. It was a vain attempt to make himself seem even bigger. “Oh, come on! You didn’t whisper as quietly as you think. I could hear it clear as day, so out with it!”

That’s when an idea came to Cassandra’s mind. It wasn’t a definite idea, just something that might work to give her time and a unique opportunity. She’d still probably have to work out the details, but it might help get her closer to figuring out the mystery of her brother.

“Yes! That is right!” She turned fully to face him. Her face brightened up as she addressed him. “That is why I have need of you. For Batman! You are coming with me!”

Jason tilted his head as his hands went to his thighs. He leaned forward. His voice softened. “For Batman?” He took in a long breath. His gaze shifted to the left as if his brain, still tired, was trying to analyze what she just said.

Cassandra mentally crossed her fingers as she nibbled on her lip.

Then in an instant, his gaze snapped back to her. To anyone else, he looked angry and defiant, but Cassandra swore she saw a hint of interest. She had his full attention. “What for? And where?”

“A promise to him.” Cassandra nervously licked her lips. “To Batman. He asked me to complete something for him. A last request... in his holorecording... to me. He asked me to go someplace out… out west … for him. And he said I should trust you... get your help.”

There was truth laced in her lie. She was finishing Batman’s work in finding her brother. It had been part of his holorecording to her. He had asked her to leave Gotham and one suggestion had been a place on the west coast. Perhaps it was her understanding alone, but she thought for sure he’d want her to find Jason and connect with him, since no one else had been able to.

Then again, perhaps, it was a lie. Still, it held hints of truth. Despite that, she hoped she could do it. She just had to keep her posture and breathing steady. She needed to appear convincing. She just hoped in the end, Jason would understand and forgive her for her lie.

“He wanted me?” His voice had jumped an octave. “Me specifically?” A breath of a pause, before he pressed another question. “Why me?”

Wanting to seem casual, Cassandra gave a shrug. “Never understood Batman’s choices. I can only guess. But he said... not Dick or Tim, it had to be you… with me.” Licking her lips, she put on her most serious expression. “Batman trusts you... to help me.”

She couldn’t meet his gaze for a long moment. Rather, she pretended to contemplate the pile of shredded Batman suit on the floor. Silently, she was counting off the seconds as she gave Jason a chance to take in everything she had said.

Unlike most of the Batman family, she put faith in Jason. None of them said they hated him. Not at all. Rather, they feared turning their back to him for fear of being shot or stabbed. Still, she hoped Jason would believe her.

When he finally spoke, it surprised her. “Alright.”

Cassandra’s gaze snapped back to him. She fought the urge to gawk at him in surprise.

Slowly, Jason stood up on shaky legs. “But where are we going?”

 _To be continued_   _…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If for some reason there is a delay on posting more, please don't think I've stopped. I'm just editing a bit as I go. I've started to realize there are loose threads I can play with later. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra wants to learn more about Jason. Jason just wants to rest.

A light flurry of snowflakes filled the crisp, morning air. The sheer number made the world appear misty and white. They swirled and danced past the barren trees along the road. Despite being numerous, they were very tiny. Only a few even made it to the ground. The temperature was still too warm for a December morning.

Cassandra barely noticed the few tiny snowflakes clinging to her bus window. Her mind was elsewhere. Gotham, Blüdhaven, her home for the last several years was growing further and further away. Nibbling her lower lip, she felt more than a bit anxious.

This wasn’t her first time leaving Gotham. There was just something so unsettling about leaving the city while it was still in turmoil. In her heart, she knew her family and her city still needed her. She just hoped they could manage, until she came back. Cassandra didn’t actually know when that would be. There was no telling how long it would take to find her brother. She might never come back to Gotham.

Blinking, she felt tears form in her eyes. Her stomach tightened. She nervously nibbled on the tip of her thumb. She hated to think that she might have just deserted her adopted family and friends.

Only once before had a similar thought crossed her mind. At the time, she had been in pursuit of her father and Deathstroke. Her only thought had been to make them pay for what they had done to her. After more than a week of using Batman’s resources, she had locked in on her father’s location. High on an abandoned rooftop and miles away from Gotham, father and daughter had clashed. Long unspoken words were finally given a voice. She had been so full of rage. Her emotions had been controlling her fighting, and he nearly died as a result. Only in the last possible second had she return to her senses and tried to save him.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she closed her eyes and refocused her thoughts. She needed to remember she was working on building her life, not letting her past destroy it. A huge part of that now was finding her twin brother. The first step was determining whether Jason Todd was him.

That required putting some distance between Gotham and them. While it had been his home as much as hers, it was where so many horrible things had hurt him. She hoped a change of environment would put him more at ease. He might be more relaxed, and perhaps, be more open to share with her. Despite Bruce’s dead ends, Cassandra thought Jason might be a better source of information, at least about his past.

That’s why she was following this evolving plan of hers.

For certain, she needed to keep them separated from anyone looking for them, whether friend or foe. Either could cause them trouble or put Jason on the defensive. Already, she had gotten a few phone messages from Stephanie, Alfred, and Tim. They were all worried about her and asked her to call them back. In particular, Tim had left four messages, sounding panicked and angry. As much as she wanted to respond, she had put it off. She wanted to focus on her mission, on Jason.

That’s why she was on her way to a relay point in Bruce’s secret network. She had heard Tim talk about it. There was a network of paths with relay points across most of the US. Bruce had built them long ago for emergency purposes. No one outside of the inner circle of Batman’s allies knew about them. Even then, only a handful knew their locations or what may lie within them. Cassandra knew for sure they’d be someplace safe to stay and a good place to get an intranet connection to the Batcomputer.

The first relay point was still more than twelve hours away. She had nothing else to do until then. Looking to her right, she stared at the sleeping man beside her.

Jason’s head was lulled in her direction, looking completely relaxed.  Cassandra studied his face, not for the first time, taking note of the details. There were aspects of his face that reminded her of her family. He had the same slender nose as her mother, even if the metal bridge plate covered most of that up right now. The color of his hair was a deep black like both her and her mother’s. His face was just about the same shade as Cassandra’s. Jason had a round face like her father, but the curve of his chin looked like hers.

Tilting her head, she took note of Jason’s ears. She and Stephanie had once watched a television program that stated relatives often shared similar ear builds. Touching her own ear, she tried to determine whether hers matched his.

“Why are you staring at me?” The groggy voice of Jason drew Cassandra from her musings. She met his gaze of one opened eye. “It’s very distracting, you know.”

Her response came quick. “Wanted to understand you better.” Since she had already lied today, she was going to try to be honest for the rest of it.

Opening his other eye, he gave her a sleepy, unconvinced look. “Talking.” He smacked his dry looking lips together. “Have you considered just talking to me instead of staring?”

Her gaze dipped, and she gave a shrug. “Depends. Will you answer my questions?” When she lifted her gaze, she saw him giving her a raised eyebrow. “So far, you brush them off.”

Managing a puff of laughter, Jason nodded his understanding. “Okay. If I agree to answer your questions, you let me get some sleep. Okay?”

Cassandra smiled back and nodded. She’d take any opening to learn about him. The question was how direct was she going to be with her questions. She didn’t want to risk putting him on the defensive. At the same time, she wanted so bad to get to know him better.

“Okay.” He pushed himself up from being buried in the large black hoodie. She had brought the item from the Manor the night before, along with a few other supplies. “Go on.”

Nibbling her lower lip, she considered a relatively easy question to start. “How old are you?”

“Depends.” She saw a touch of a smile to his lips.

She gave him a scowl. “Jason!” He was being purposefully irritating. At the same time, she felt certain there was no genuine maliciousness to his voice. Instead, he was just teasing her. “You promised to answer…”

Chuckling, Jason put up his hands in innocence. “I am! It really depends. Do I count the time I was dead or not? If I do, I’m almost 22. If I don’t, I’m almost 20.”

A shiver of excitement raked over her. Twenty-two. That would make them the same age. That was a point in proving them as siblings. Then, Cassandra mentally scolded herself. She had known they’d be the same age. Bruce had said as much when they stood over Jason’s grave.

“I see.” Biting her lower lip, she pushed on with another question. “How long have… did you live in Gotham?”

“Before dying, all my life,” he said. Then, Jason paused. His lips tightened, and his brow furrowed. “At least, I think so. I remember growing up there.”

His answer wasn’t helpful. His responses were vague. There could be any number of reasons for his uncertainty. So, she reconsidered how to phrase her question. “Okay. Were you born there?”

Cassandra watched as Jason tilted his head and rubbed his right eye. Despite him appearing distracted by fatigue, she could tell his mind was working away. Perhaps, he was simply considering her question. Then again, he might be wondering why she was asking.

“I suppose I was born in Gotham,” he replied. His partially opened eyes were flickering over her. Just like in their last conversation, he was analyzing her. She was even more sure of that now.

“What did… your parents tell you?” Cassandra leaned in closer to him. She was studying his physical reactions to her questions as much as his words. They proved insightful. She was quickly learning that he seemed uncomfortable talking about his past.

Pursing his lips, he fixed her with a cold look. There was a twitch to the outer corner of his left eye. He was scared, not mad. “Depends on which parents you had asked,” Jason said, crossing his arms. For a moment, he lifted his shoulders and buried his face into the neck of the hoodie. When he pulled his face out, Cassandra swore she saw a very subtle tremble to his lips. “I barely knew my birth parents. My dad died when I was... young and my… mom…” He paused wrinkling his brow. “… she wasn’t really around. As for my adopted parents, they never said.”

 “What about your birth certificate?” Cassandra pressed.

“Probably would have said… if it still existed.” Jason drew in another long breath. His gaze drifted away from her. He looked distracted. That's when she realized he was struggling to meet her gaze. “There was a fire when I was… about six, I think. It went up with their apartment. I guess I’ve never cared enough to find out.”

“But… didn’t you go looking for… for your birth mother?” Cassandra pointed out.

When Jason’s gaze snapped to her, Cassandra took note of an uncharacteristic shimmer in his eyes. She had touched on a sensitive nerve. For a long moment, neither of them said a thing.

Then, Jason spoke in a horse sounding voice. “Why...?” He swallowed.

Cassandra blinked, not really understanding his question. So, she just watched him. Discomfort practically radiated off him. He looked upset, but it was more than that. She saw confusion and dread. They were written in the deep lines around his eyes and mouth.

Instinct told her to reassure the man beside her. She leaned in closer to him. In a soft voice, she whispered, “Batman spoke about you… to me. We visited your grave. He wanted me to understand you… understand the challenges you faced. Maybe to help connect me to you.”

Once again, there was the shade of truth. Still, she knew she was lying. Cassandra scolded herself for that. Yet, she felt for sure Jason needed to hear that right now.

A breath later, Jason sniffed and nodded. “Yes. I did go looking for… for her.” His gaze drifted outside of the bus. He appeared to be watching the sunlight break through the cloudy sky. The light caused the snowflakes to glisten and sparkle.

Leaning back again, Cassandra nibbled on her thumb. She nodded slowly and analyzed Jason. He still seemed ill at ease. She hated to see him look so unhappy. She wished she could say something, do something to make him feel better.

For a few seconds, she considered ending her questions there. After all, he was tired. She could just let him rest and ask him more questions later. Still, she desperately wanted to know more.

Absentmindedly, Cassandra drew in a breath and said, “Must have been hard.”

Jason said nothing. He didn’t even mechanically nod. Rather, he still looked miles away.

Swallowing, Cassandra decided to try a different approach. She didn’t know if it was the craziest idea ever or the most brilliant. She just hoped it might make Jason feel better and give him a reason to trust her more. “I know…” Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find her words. She lowered her gaze to her lap. “I know it was hard when I met my birth mother… after never knowing her.”

Suddenly, she felt the full intensity of Jason’s attention on her. Looking up, she saw the stunned expression on his face. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung partially open. “Your birth mother?”

Cassandra slowly nodded. “Yes. About a year ago. When I first met her the year before, I did not know she was my mother.”

Jason raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You were abandoned... and adopted?”

Cassandra vigorously shook her head. “No. Not adopted. I… I ran away from my father. She left me with him.” Blowing out a long breath, she softly chuckled to herself. There were so many things she could tell Jason about her past, but she didn’t want to muddy their conversation. She hoped one day to tell him everything. If he was her brother, he should know it all. Right now, she focused on the mess of her relationship with her mother. “Difficult to explain. She was not what I thought her to be. She wanted nothing to do with me… until I was stronger.  She was never there for me, like your mother.”

She saw a partial smile on his lips. “Moms.” His tone of sarcasm mixed with spite was clear.

Cassandra couldn’t help her own small smile. “Yes. Moms.”

oOo

Under the bright street lights, the intensity of the snow was rapidly increasing. The ground was already covered in a good two inches and it was still coming down. It would have been a stunning sight in the glow, if it wasn’t so bitterly cold. Still, the coldness numbed the ache in Jason’s body.

He would have gladly spent some time resting at his safehouse. The ordeal of the last two days had taken their toll on him. He needed time to recuperate from his wounds, both physical and mental. However, thanks to his captor, he was on the move and far away from Gotham.

A brief chuckle vibrated in his chest.

Who was he kidding? Cassandra wasn’t holding him against his will. He had agreed to come with her. Of course, he honestly didn’t know why. He could have come up with any number of reasons to turn her down flat, even now. Yet, he had said yes when she asked.

That’s why they had left Gotham together early in the morning. The trip had taken most of the day. Despite catching a little sleep on the bus ride, Jason was glad to be off. It had been loud, smelly, and crowded.  To make it worse, he knew he’d have to do it again the next morning.

As he leaned back against the wooden pillar behind him, Jason buried himself in the oversized, black hoodie. He happily noticed the unique odor of Gotham still lingered. Underneath that smoky, metallic scent was something else very familiar. He had noticed it earlier, but the bus ride and his conversation with Cassandra had distracted him. He drew in several deep breaths of it, but he couldn’t put a name to the additional smell. Instead, he just enjoyed the comforting aroma.

Both hands slipped into the front, pouch pocket, seeking escape from the winter cold. His fingers curled and uncurled. At the same time, his mind drifted back to both conversations he had with Cassandra.

Cassandra wasn’t much of a talker. Unlike some Robins, she seemed to struggle. There was no elegance to her words nor variety in her linguistic skills. In truth, she sometimes sounded inept, but she wasn’t dense. Jason was sure about that. She just didn’t seem comfortable verbally expressing herself.

Despite all that, Cassandra always made herself understood. He saw it in her gestures, in how she held herself, and in other nonverbal cues. He felt like he could believe her, even when she told him that ‘Batman trusted him’. He doubted he would have believed anyone else who had said that. He’d have called them a liar before punching them. Cassandra spoke with real weight and truth. Even more, he believed her when she said she wanted him, needed him, and trusted him. Then again, maybe it wasn’t just Cassandra. Perhaps, Jason just needed to believe.

Sighing deeply now, he squeezed his eyes shut.

The last week had been rough. To be honest, the last three years had been bad all around. But when he heard the rumor of Batman’s death, things really started to go downhill for him. At first, he ignored every punk who laughed about there being no Batman anymore. The underworld always had rumors like that. When he heard people like Killer Croc and Penguin talk about it, he started to worry. Finally, he couldn’t ignore it when Tim told him the same. Right after rescuing Jason from Black Gate Prison, his replacement had grimly confirmed Batman’s death. That had been the hardest.

Jason remembered feeling numb as he stood in the Batcave. His mind had finally broken when he stared at the holographic recording from Bruce. The older man’s words left Jason feeling cold and alone. Disappointment and shame were more than evident in Bruce’s words and in his cold eyes. At the time, Jason had wished he had a gun to shoot or a knife to throw at the hologram. He had been without a way to defend himself.

A new lump formed now in Jason’s throat. He swallowed hard, forcing it back down. Then, he drew a shaky breath.

Despite everything, Jason needed to believe Bruce hadn’t died still hating him. He couldn’t let that be. When Cassandra had told him about the last request, he had wanted to believe there was hope. Perhaps Bruce had still trusted him, if he had wanted him for this last mission. Still, he didn’t understand why Bruce hadn’t mentioned it in his own holorecording.

Jason muttered to himself, “Or was I so blinded by anger… I missed something in his message.” His fingers flexed again in the pouch. This time they brushed something small and paper like. Pulling it out, he saw a tiny, rectangular slip of paper. It was folded in half with some black ink slightly showing through.

Unfolding it, he couldn’t help how his eyes widened.

The printed text on the thick paper was just barely visible. Jason could just make out a date from nine years ago and a colorful heading. It was an entrance ticket to Gotham City Knights baseball park for three people

He remembered that day so vividly. Bruce had taken him and Dick to see the Gotham Knights play Metropolis. The game had lasted nearly all day. Supposedly, it had been one for the record books. For Jason, the game hadn’t been the most memorable thing. It had been the time he spent with Bruce and Dick. The older man had taken the entire day off. He had even agreed to do nothing Batman related, until the end of the game. Dick agreed to take some time off as well. He had driven into Gotham the night before just to go with them.

Most of the game, Jason and Dick jokingly picked on and pranked each other. He remembered throwing buttery popcorn kernels and peanuts at Dick. A few even got caught in the stupid ponytail he was growing. Of course, the older teen gave back as good as he got. Jason remembered a particularly ice-cold cup of soda dumped on his lap when Bruce wasn’t looking. They still got lectured by Bruce, who just always seemed to know.

The rest of the game had been filled with more pleasant things. Bruce had treated them to loads of popcorn, peanuts, chilidogs, ice cream, and soda pop. Jason had ended up with a stomach ache. But before that, Bruce had taken them to the field to meet with the Gotham Knights’ team. In fact, the manager had given them each a free official Gotham Knight’s hoodie, even Bruce.

Touching his chest, Jason looked down to see a very faded GK symbol on the front of the black hoodie. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it before. This had been Bruce’s Gotham Knights hoodie. He had kept it along with the entrance ticket to remember that day. It had meant something to the older man.

Jason’s stomach suddenly tightened. His breathing became uneven. Despite the wooden post behind him, Jason's legs felt shaky. No. That wasn't right. They just didn't want to stand still anymore. He needed to go someplace else, any place. 

For a second, his thoughts turned to the window of the office doorway. Inside, Cassandra was getting them a room for the night. Jason hoped she would forgive him. He just needed some time to himself.

Turning on his heel, Jason headed away from the motel and down the street.

oOo

For what felt like the hundredth time, Cassandra repeated herself. “I do not care if you believe me. I am his daughter. And I am here to...”

A cackle of laughter cut Cassandra off.

Behind the office’s raised counter stood a tall, willowy woman in a white, frilly blouse. Her boney face was sharply drawn upward as she threw her head back. There was a cruelness to her laughter. A moment later, she began to gasp as if struggling to breathe. If Cassandra had to guess, it wasn’t from laughing.

Coughing loudly, the willowy woman reached for her cigarette from the ash tray on the counter. After a long drag from the cigarette, she blew the smoke, not seeming to care that it went into Cassandra’s face. “You a Malone?! Ha! You must think I’m a fool, Little Girl?

Cassandra was beyond exasperated. “Trust me. I am a Malone. And I do not…”

Since coming into the office more than eight minutes ago, a new voice interrupted the conversation. Cassandra was glad to hear a voice other than the woman’s. “Erma… sweetheart, everything alright out there!” The new voice sounded shaky at best. Slowly, the door behind the counter opened to reveal a man half the height of the willowy woman, Erma. He wore glasses almost bigger than his face. He was barely visible when he stepped up to the counter.

Briefly calming down her laughter, Erma gave a devious smirk over her shoulder at the small man. “Just fine, Albert dear. No need to bother. I’m taking care of this little, foreign trollop.”

A breath of irritation puffed out Cassandra’s nose. “Excuse me?!”

“Who… who is she?” Albert slowly hobbled closer, squinting at Cassandra. “Is she a client… or a guest?”

Putting on her best smile, Cassandra warmly met Albert’s gaze. “Hi. I am…”

Once again, Erma interrupted Cassandra. “She claims to be related to Matches Malone.” Rolling her eyes, Erma took another long drag on her cigarette.  She scoffed, releasing another puff of smoke. “Obviously, she’s lying… for whatever reason.”

“I am not!” angrily stated Cassandra. She tapped the small pile of documents on the counter. She had brought them with her from the Batcave. These were supposed to help her gain access to the hidden entrance to the relay point safehouse. However, Erma was hindering that.

At first, Cassandra thought it was simply because Erma didn’t like her. Now, she thought Erma just didn’t like unexpected guests. Considering what Cassandra had read about the motel, she could imagine why. The motel was a front for a whole lot of shady activities. According to the Batcomputer, drug trafficking, prostitution rings, and more went on behind closed doors. It really was a perfect place to hide Matches Malone’s or Batman’s secret safehouse.

“Malone?” Albert pushed himself up on to his toes. He shakily picked up Cassandra’s fake driver’s license and another document she had brought. “Really? We haven’t seen him in some time.” He began to examine both items very closely.

Not waiting for either of them to speak again, Cassandra spoke up. “Yes. He sent me. I am Minnie Malone.”

Erma cackled with laughter again, before tapping the tip of the cigarette to the ashtray.  “Minnie. Like Minnie Mouse. You are stupid, if you think we’d fall for that!” She was grating on Cassandra’s last nerve.

“Erma, sweetheart,” said Albert in a soft voice. He coughed slightly, before gesturing to the items in his hands. “These… look authentic.”

Erma seemed oblivious both to Cassandra and her husband. “Wherever did you learn English?” Erma mockingly asked. “Looking at you, I assume China? But all you Asian people look alike to me.” Something dark boiled in the pit of Cassandra’s stomach. Her dislike for the woman was quickly becoming a fierce loathing.

Releasing a breath, Cassandra fought the urge to leap over the desk. That would get nothing resolved, at least not without drawing attention to her and Jason. Still, she couldn’t deny that she had already calculated how long it would take her to knock some sense into Erma. The woman was not weak-willed, but neither was she physically strong. Cassandra thought it would take her less than a minute to take her out. She was sure of it. Striking her throat would probably be the quickest way. All Cassandra had to do was strike a vital nerve and Erma would be unconscious or dead. 

A cold shiver ran over Cassandra as she thought about killing the woman. As if a splash of cold water washed over her, she suddenly came back to her senses. Her anger diminished. She was not a killer. Her father, her mother, and even Deathstroke had tried to make her into one. She refused to be a weapon. She had a code. Maybe it wasn’t the same at Batman’s. Still, killing was not an option for her. She would be better than her family.

Cassandra forced her shoulders to relax. “I am Minnie Malone… daughter of Matches Malone. He sent me here.”

“Ha! A white man having a Chink daughter,” Erma scoffed. “Ridiculous!”

“Erma, sweetie, there’s no reason to say such things.” His brow was very furrowed. “After all, she does have all the necessary credentials with her.”

Erma didn’t seem to care. “You are no sooner a Malone than I am a Trump!”

Once again, Albert spoke up. He was looking at her driver’s license. “Maybe she didn’t have a reservation, but it wouldn’t be the first time for a Malone. I think we should believe her. After all, we don’t want to upset Mr. Malone... or any of his friends.”

Cassandra’s eyes suddenly widened. Albert’s choice of words gave her an idea. Clearly, the couple feared Matches Malone. If she could use that to her advantage, she might be able to gain access to the safehouse entrance. “Too late! You already have.”

Erma’s gaze fell coldly on Cassandra. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Cassandra didn’t hide her smirk. “How dare you insult a Malone!” She pulled her cellphone from her pants pocket. “We do not take rudeness lightly!” She tapped lightly on the screen. She wasn’t actually doing anything particular, but she wanted to pretend. “Wait until I call my father!” She openly made a scoffing noise as she focused her gaze on the phone. She dialed the first number that came up. It just happened to be Tim’s phone number to his safehouse. “Let Daddy deal with you!” Putting it to her ear, she could hear it ringing, but her attention was on Erma. “Hi, this is Minnie. Is Daddy there?”

There was a panicked look on the willowy woman’s face. “No!” She gasped out the word loudly. Then, she stopped, pinching her lips together.  She jabbed the cigarette into her mouth, before taking a long drag on it. Blowing out a puff of smoke, she spoke more calmly. There was a forced smile on her lips. “I mean, that won’t be necessary.” Side-eyeing her husband, she sniffed. “Mr. Malone has always been a treasured client.”

Hesitating for only a couple of seconds more, Cassandra lowered the phone. “Oh? Why should I believe you?”

Erma said nothing. She turned and walked through the opened doorway. Cassandra swore she heard the woman grumble something under her breath.

Cassandra pretended to address the phone. “Call you back.” Then, she hung up the call. Her gaze was locked on Albert now.

Albert put Cassandra’s driver’s license and other documents together in a neat pile. “Here you go, Miss Malone. I’m so sorry for the confusion.” Cassandra took the documents and placed them in her backpack. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nervously swallow. “We…We just wanted to be absolutely sure. Mr. Malone, your father, told us to be extremely cautious letting anyone into his reserved room.”

Cassandra slowly nodded her understanding. She had no doubt that Bruce would have played the part well. He probably intimidated them to the point of rarely letting anyone inside, unless absolutely necessary.

Suddenly, Erma reemerged. There was a dark scowl on her face. “Please give Mr. Malone are regards,” she said in a tight voice. “But let him know, in future, if he wants his bit of skirt to stay here without him, he’d better call beforehand. We aren’t responsible if some whore messes with his stuff.” She dropped the key on the counter, before turning and heading back through the doorway again.

Cassandra’s lips tightened. Her earlier thought of jumping over the counter entered her thoughts again. She reminded herself it wasn’t a good idea.

“Sorry again about that, Miss Malone,” meekly said Albert. He jumped slightly when Erma slammed the door closed.

Cassandra put on her best fake smile. Inside, she was still fuming, but she was glad to have the key. Pocketing the key, she turned and left the cramped office.

Stepping outside, she released the breath she had been holding. A feeling of relief washed over her. Now, she and Jason could just relax, until morning. Glancing back towards the motel’s parking lot, Cassandra expected to see Jason.

But he was no where insight.

“Jason!” she called, taking a few steps further forward. She looked left and right. She hoped he was just pacing, since it had taken her a lot longer than it should have. “Jason?”

He was nowhere to be seen. After walking further out into the snow-covered parking lot, her gaze fell upon a relatively fresh set of footprints in the snow. They looked to be about the right size for Jason’s boots. Unfortunately, they led away from the motel and towards the downtown area.

Her mouth fell open as she stared at the glistening lights of the small downtown area a few blocks away. The traffic was heavy, considering the growing amount of snow on the ground. Still, she could imagine all the places Jason might be heading. “I told him to wait. I told him I would be back. Why would he…?” She bit her words back as she tried to stay positive. There was nothing to say Jason was completely abandoning her. More likely, considering what she knew about him, he had got bored of waiting for her and decided to explore the small downtown. “He did get a lot of sleep on the bus. Not like he needs more.”

Keeping the positive thought in her head, she decided she would trust Jason and let him be for the mean time. Besides, some time apart would give her a chance to work on that evolving plan of hers. Still, she made a promise to call the cellphone, which she had stuck into his backpack, in a few hours. That was unless he found her first.

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this. There's plenty more to come, including a few new twists and turns.  
> Please stay tuned. :)

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate timeline, diverging right after The Battle for the Cowl storyline. Since at the time, we didn't know what became of Cassandra or what happened to Jason at the end of that storyline, I decided to take those characters down a different road.


End file.
